Ever since golf was introduced into this country in the late 1800's, there has been a subverted quest for a better golf tee which will do the job and more. Originally, as we know it, the sand tee was the going thing. However, these proved to be too messy, if not difficult at times; and gave way to the entry of the many different forms of golf tees that have been coming and going up to the present day.
There are wooden tees, styrofoam tees, plastic tees, water soluble tees, tees made out of fertilizer and even molded tees which disintegrate upon clubhead impact. The tee attached to a string so it wouldn't become airborne when tacked to the ground and lost, seemed like a winner. This same principle of restricting flight by using a heavy piece of lead at one end of the string instead of a ground tack has also been tried. Nevertheless, in each instance, the string proved to be too distracting to many players, disrupting their concentration, and thus lost favor.
Unfavorable weather conditions are directly responsible for and do cause other golf tee miseries. Complaints can be readily heard when the hard, dry, sunbaked ground is reluctant to permit penetration of the little plastic peg. Then again, early morning dew and afternoon showers ruin paper tees not properly suited for wet conditions. Many of the rubber, metal and wire tees become airborne with clubhead impact and are lost so easily that their expense sometimes doesn't justify their means. No only do plastic tees shatter easily, especially during use after being exposed to the sun for any length of time; they, like any of the metal tees are notorious for ruining the finish on those new wood golf clubs, giving rise to a real cause for golf tee disenchantment. Like the ant hills and sand mounds, I no longer use them. I have something better.
I noticed that there have been quite a few patents granted to applicants for tees constructed out of paper, some even that unfolded into rectangles or squares that, in my opinion, were never really complete enough to satisfy the all-around wishes of today's golfers. Some are too small, some are too short, while attempts to combine the output of one tee to serve as a high tee or a low tee just by inverting it, just doesn't do the job satisfactorilly. Meanwhile, little has been said about their lack of ruggedness and durability. I know for a fact that after a few plays may are broken and left to litter the tee-off area. This breaking-up and littering is also a very obvious fault of the wooden and plastic tees so profusely used today.